Portrait of a Judge

by Henry Cecil

What does an elderly judge do when he is confronted by a man who wants to kill him for a death sentence he had given out years before? 'Portrait of a Judge' is the first fascinating story in this collection of short stories based on all matters legal. Written with cracking pace and full of unexpected twists, paradoxes and subtleties the book will have you riveted to the very last page.

216 pages, Paperback

First published October 28, 1997

About the author

Henry Cecil Leon (19 September 1902 – 23 May 1976), who wrote under the pen-names Henry Cecil and Clifford Maxwell, was a judge and a writer of fiction about the British legal system. He was born near London in 1902 and was called to the Bar in 1923. Later in 1949 he was appointed a County Court Judge, a position he held until 1967. He used these experiences as inspiration for his work. His books are works of great comic genius with unpredictable twists of plot, but are not intended to be realistic or strong on characterization. They typically feature educated and genteel fraudsters and blackmailers who lay ludicrously ingenious plots exploiting loopholes in the legal system. There are several recurring characters, such as the drunken solicitor Mr Tewkesbury and the convoluted and exasperating witness Colonel Brain. He writes well about the judicial process, usually through the eyes of a young barrister but sometimes from the viewpoint of the judge; Daughters in Law contains a memorable snub from a County Court judge to a barrister who is trying to patronise him.

His 1955 novel Brothers in Law was made into a film in 1957 and, later, a television and radio series starring Richard Briers. While at Paramount Pictures, Alfred Hitchcock worked on adapting No Bail for the Judge for the screen several times between 1954 and 1960, and hoped to co-star Audrey Hepburn, Laurence Harvey, and John Williams, but the film was never produced.

Reviews

[Jayanthi · Rating 4 out of 5]

If the law is an Ass it is a really clever ass. Entertaining and humorous stories where the judge and the judicial system always prevails and has the last laugh.

Wonder if this book is on the reading list of many of our judges and lawyers. How many law college libraries have it on their shelves. Can any member of the legal fraternity throw some light ?

[MasterSal · Rating 2 out of 5]

Noting my rating for now as I want to get my 2023 numbers correct - will come back and writing the full review.

This wasn't as good as I remember and the humour often did not land. Will need to review the individual story rating to figure out the final rating for the collection.

[Madeline · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a series of short stories about cases in the British courts. Most have interesting twists and are humorous. It’s a fun read for anyone who likes stories about judges and the legal system.